In a city that's part of the Republic of Neberia, specifically in Enberg, a young girl made her way through the bustling crowd, clutching a folder tightly to her chest.
Her name is Grace, a cheerful girl, but when it comes to important matters, she can be pretty serious.
"Failed again, huhhh... How long am I going to stay unemployed? God, please help me..." she muttered, letting out a heavy sigh she had been holding in out of exhaustion.
Though usually bright and upbeat, the past few days had worn her down. Rejection after rejection from the companies she applied to was starting to break her spirit. Each step felt heavier than the last.
Grace paused in front of a small shop, catching her reflection in the window.
"What's wrong with me? Is it because I'm from the countryside that they keep turning me down?" she wondered, trying to find answers amidst the growing doubts in her mind.
Grace was born in a small village on the outskirts of the city. It wasn't surprising that many companies rejected people from the countryside, often seeing them as unfit and looking down on them as "dirty" and uneducated.
"What am I going to do? I've already burdened Mom, who paid for me to come to the city and find a job... Maybe I should've just stayed in the village and helped Mom with the farm..." she whispered in despair, letting out another long, disappointed sigh.
As she resumed walking, Grace suddenly stopped again and reached into the pocket of her skirt. She pulled out a genuine leather wallet, a gift from her mom before she left for the city.
Her face grew even more somber as she looked at the dwindling amount of money inside. Her mom had given her enough to survive while she looked for a job, but after almost two months of searching high and low, not a single company had hired her.
"This is all I have left... Enough for maybe five days... Hmphh!?"
Suddenly, a poster flew into her face. It was worn and read, "Looking for a maid who can clean, cook, and more," written in messy, suspicious-looking ink.
"Wait!? This is a miracle!! Thank you, God Lexus. This is my last chance!!" she exclaimed excitedly, not even questioning the sketchy poster.
On the back of the poster, there was a map, crudely drawn and unclear. But even so, Grace ran off happily, heading toward the location shown.
Until finally...
"Huh?"
She arrived at an old, run-down building in a secluded part of Enberg. The place radiated an unsettling vibe. Grace hesitated, staring at the building in front of her.
"This... is really the place? It looks creepy, like there's some evil aura around it... But if I turn back now, all of this will have been for nothing..."
Swallowing her nerves, Grace took a deep breath and cautiously approached the building.